This invention relates to baby bottles and more particularly to a baby bottle for use with or without a liner.
In the past baby bottles, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 595,414 issued Dec. 14, 1897 to J. C. Roach and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,808 issued Feb. 18, 1986 to Campbell et al. have included at least one integral element forming a handle having a circumferential dimension sufficiently small for babies to grasp with their small hands for supporting the bottle during feeding. The handles of Roach and Campbel et al. are formed, respectively, by openings in the top and central bottle portions. The handles of Roach are of uniform dimensions; the handles of Campbell et al. have concave surfaces forming the smallest dimension at the centers of the handles. The purpose of the concave handle configuration is to assist in guiding the babies hands to and around the handles. Neither the Roach nor Campbell et al. baby bottles are designed for use with a liner.
Baby bottles using liners, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,793,778 issued May 28, 1957 to K. B. Maxwell and European Patent Application No. 82301846.0 filed July 4, 1982 by Andrew David McFarlane, have features preventing their use without liners. For example, Maxwell teaches a bottle bottom having a centrally disposed air hole for admitting air to collapse the liner evenly as milk is taken from the liner. While, McFarlane teaches a liner type baby bottle having a screw cap at the bottom end.
The problem attending the use of either the Roach or Campbell et al. baby bottles with liners is that of liner insertion and developing a means for facilitating air removal from the liner. While, the problem with using the Maxwell and McFarlane baby bottles without liners is that of bottom leakage, cleaning, and air removal.
With the handles at the top portion of the bottle as in Roach or with the handles having concave surfaces at the body portion as in Campbell et al., the bottle's top opening and the handle openings are not substantially aligned for facilitating cleaning, liner insertion and filling the liner with milk.
With a hole in the bottom as in Maxwell or with a screw on bottom as in McFarlane the bottle is going to leak milk when used without a liner. To close the hole of Maxwell defeats the purpose of the hole when the bottle is used with a liner; while, to provide a non-leaking screw on bottom decreases the mean time before failure of the bottle and its efficiency, while increasing cost.
A significant feature of the invention is the inclusion of a bellows in a portion of a container which adapts the container for air removal when used with or without a liner. The container is configured in a first embodiment with opposing tubular handles in vertical alignment with the top and bottom portions of the container to facilitate cleaning and sterilization, and liner insertion when used, and in a second embodiment with handle forming recesses to accommodate holding by an infant using at least one hand and to facilitate cleaning, sterilization and when used with a liner, liner insertion.